The MONSTER 25 pound “Dottie” in 2006, was not officially recorded due to her being foul hooked

Arden Hanline’s 19.188 pounder from Lake Morena in 1987

George Perry, tied for the world record officially

George Coniglio with a 19.7 from Mission Viejo in 2006

Manabu Kurita with the largest bass officially recorded at 22.311 pounds

Fritz Friebel with a 20 pounder from Florida’s “Big Fish Lake” in 1923

Steve Beasley with the mount of his monster bass

Mike Arujo’s 21.75 pound bass from Castaic in 1991

Butch Brown with a 19 pounder

Leo Torres

Bob Crupi’s 22 pounder from Castaic in 1991

Raymond Easley 21.19 pound monster bass

Mike Long’s “Dottie” caught in 2001 when she weighed 20.75 pounds

Bruce Knutson

Kaz Shimada’s 19.15 from Lake Ikehara in Japan

Keith Gunsauls

Jed Dickerson with “Dottie” at 21.688 pounds, the largest bass ever officially recorded in San Diego history

Disclaimer – This list is unofficial and recognizes catches that were widely considered to be accurate. Catches that lack substantial proof of the bass even existing, or the size of the bass, such as “write-ins” were left off. Catches with unusual circumstances are noted below.

The Asterisk Section:

Any list of the top bass catches of all time is going to have asterisks, even George Perry’s 22.25 pound bass that stood as the world record for 77 years didn’t necessarily have resounding proof as a product of the era in which it was caught.

* – Dave Zimmerlee’s catch was officially recognized as the state record at the time it was caught, which is why it is listed here. However, it should be noted that several people came forward immediately after the catch and claimed to have seen Zimmerlee “scoop” the bass from the water as it floated, dying on the surface. Zimmerlee adamantly denied the allegations. In any case, the bass was verified at 20 lbs 15 ounces, and was the largest in the state at that point.

** – Johnny Garduno’s catch fell under similar scrutiny as Zimmerlee’s. Witnesses came forward claiming that Garduno used a net to catch his 20 lb 4 oz bass as it swiped at a stringer of trout. As an angler that has spent a lot of time on the water chasing big bass, that claim seems even more outlandish than an angler catching a bass that big by traditional means. Again, in any case, the bass was as big as claimed and verified.

*** – Sandy DeFresco’s story is one you’re probably already familiar with – yes, this is the diving weight bass. The monstrous bass “originally” weighed 21 lbs 10 oz at the time it was officially weighed, which was a little more than a half-pound short of the world record at the time, but would have been a new state record catch. How the weights, which were discovered at the taxidermy shop, got in the bass are still a mystery. Adding to the intrigue, and allowing for even more creative theories was that DeFresco worked at the lake’s concession at the time of the catch. City Lake’s Biologist, Larry Bottroff, one of the most respected bass experts in the entire world concluded after examining the bass that the 2.5 lb weight was in the bass for up to 2 weeks, as Bottroff found tissue forming around the weight. The most popular theory is that the bass was the same one caught roughly two weeks earlier by Gunsauls, who was the first to release a bass that big. After its release, someone other than Gunsauls might have obtained the fish, added the weight, and kept it captive within the lake for two weeks until claiming a new catch. However, there is no proof of that, and DeFresco was credited with the weight of the bass, minus the weight.